Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the news items for today:

TELEVISION

Actor Arjay Smith (Perception) has joined the cast of Sons of Anarchy for its seventh and final season. He will play Grant McQueen, a good, street smart kid who is trying to protect his mother. (The Deadline Team)

Actress Gillian Anderson (The X-Files) has been promoted to series regular status on the NBC thriller Hannibal, which will be back for its second season sometime during mid-season. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Paramount TV and TNT is developing a TV adaptation of its 2007 box office film Shooter, which starred Mark Wahlberg. The film was based on the novel “Point of Impact” by Stephen Hunter. It centered on a marksman, former U.S. Marine Scout Sniper Bob Lee Swagger (Wahlberg), who is coaxed back into action only to be framed for murder and goes on the run. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)

Actresses Carly Chaikin (Suburgatory) and Portia Douleday (the box office films Her and Carrie) have joined the cast of the USA Network drama pilot Mr. Robot that will star actor Rami Malek (24) as Elliot, a brilliant young programmer who suffers from a debilitating anti-social disorder and decides that he can only connect to people by hacking them. Chaikin will play Marlene, a chain-smoking, striking hipster who also happens to be an expert at writing malicious malware specifically, dangerous computer worms that take down entire networks while Doubleday will play the pragmatic old childhood friend of Elliot and an account executive at the AllSafe Cyber Security firm who happens to be the only person to whom our protagonist will share his vulnerabilities. (Michael Slezak at TV Line)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actress Elizabeth Olsen has joined the cast of the upcoming film I Saw The Light that will star Tom Hiddleston as the late, great country western singer Hank Williams. The film will chronicle Williams’ meteoric rise to fame and the price that fame took on his personal life, as he died at age 29 of heart failure. Olsen will play Williams’ wife Audrey Mae. (Jen Yamato at Deadline)

Q&A SECTION (with Michael Ausiello at TV Line)

Question: In what episode of NCIS Season 12 will Jim Beaver be guest-starring? —JP

Ausiello: Though we don’t have the episode number, we do have a title: “The San Dominick.” And Matt Mitovich has learned that it’s the same episode that brings back fan favorite Diane Neal as CGIS Agent Borin. The plot: During a joint NCIS/Coast Guard training exercise, Gibbs and Borin find a body floating in the water. Once it’s determined that the deceased was a crew member aboard a ship run by a Captain Tom O’Rourke (Supernatural alum Beaver’s role), the two decide to pay a visit to the vessel some 60 nautical miles away, to further investigate the “man overboard” situation.

Question: Do you have any insight as to who the Big Bad of season 3 of Arrow will be? —Michael

Ausiello: As revealed at Comic-Con, the Big Bad is this guy — the iconic DC Comics villain Ra’s al Ghul, just recently cast with Aussie Matt Nable. And though the League of Assassins leader is first seen in Episode 4, it will take a bit before he and Arrow butt heads, swords or what have you. “Before the winter break, which would be Episode 9, you’ll see some big stuff with him and Oliver,” promises EP Greg Berlanti.

Question: Will Dr. Whale continue to be seen at all on Once Upon a Time, now that David Anders is on iZombie? Don’t both shows shoot in the same town? —Gwen

Ausiello: Were it as simple as sending Vancouver Taxi to fetch Anders (or his leading lady Rose McIver aka Tinker Bell, for that matter), but it’s not. “We would love to drag [David] across town, as [iZombie EP] Rob [Thomas] is an old friend of ours,” says Once co-creator Eddy Kitsis. “But he’s not in the first batch [of Season 4 episodes].” (Dr. Whale does get a shout-out in an early episode, however. So there’s that.)

Question: I love Sleepy Hollow‘s Katrina – please tell me she’s in the real world longer than just one episode. —Erin

Ausiello: Well, she’s around long enough to engage in some retail therapy, says executive producer Mark Goffman. “I would say she doesn’t cling to her wardrobe the way that Crane does,” he teases, adding that when Mrs. Crane hits the mall, her style is “pretty edgy.” So… no Revolutionary War re-enactor costumes? “She’s a much cooler dresser in a way of mixing and matching the modern era with her own.”

Question: If and when we meet Crane’s mother on Sleepy Hollow, will Victor Garber return as his dad? —Dave

Ausiello: “There’s no doubt that we will learn a lot more about Crane’s mother, potentially in the second half” of the upcoming second season, Goffman tells TVLine, going on to say that Garber – who’s already filmed at least one Season 2 episode – would be very welcome to make another visit. “He’s unbelievable. We loved having him on the show last year and are excited to have him back.”

Question: Can you find out if Castiel and Crowley will be in the 200th episode of Supernatural? —Franca

Ausiello: I can, I will and I did. “We can’t give too much away about the 200th episode or the storylines leading up to it,” a spokesperson for the show tells TVLine, “but we can say that while Misha Collins and Mark Sheppard are not in the episode” — not a huge shock considering series-regular status doesn’t guarantee a presence in all episodes produced — “they, and many other favorite characters from the past nine seasons, will be represented in a way that we think fans will love.” Considering how unique the show’s past meta episodes have been, in what crazy way do you think Castiel and Crowley will make their presence known?

That’s it. Enjoy!